Jet-ski ace Hards on brink on title

The 18-year-old gave another stunning performance at the Queenford Jet-ski Centre in Oxford, finishing third out of the 17 participants in the season's fourth round.

He now requires just a pair of fifth place finishes from the final two contests to be crowned overall champion.

The secret of Hards' success lies predominantly within his spellbinding consistency which has spreadeagled his rivals to the extent where he enjoys a seven-point overall advantage.

He claimed a pair of second places as well as a win in the opening three rounds and was only beaten by a couple of brilliant guest skiiers who do not normally compete on the tour.

Mother Gill was delighted with her son's latest heroics. She said: "He did very well and he was very pleased to get third position because there were a lot of good riders."

The next round takes place at Foffe Hill in Yorkshire on August 30-31.